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Lessening the chances of damage in a flood, called mitigation, is the first step in dealing with flood damage. It is in this stage one should do what can be done to prevent any damage.

In the mitigation stage a person could do things like make sure the outside of your home has dirt sloping away from the foundation to carry rain water away. A person could also install sewer back-flow preventer valves to prevent sewage from backing up during a flood.

You could go to the Federal Emergency Management Website and learn more about either retrofitting a home for flood water management or learn things to incorporate into the design of your new home to help prevent flood losses. There are also links here to help you determine if your home is in a floodplain and what the risk level is for a flood in your area. I am sure other governments offer the same type of service in their countries.

If it is to late for mitigation and you are having to recover from a flood then there are some general guidelines one can follow. The first thing to remember is not to enter a building unless it is been deemed safe by someone qualified to do so. Upon entering your home try and have a camera with you to take pictures. Pictures are worth a thousand words when trying to describe damage to an insurance adjuster.

When going into the home you may want to wear protective clothing. At least boots, gloves and quite possibly some type of respirator. The potential for sewage contaminants exists after a flood and damp musty buildings which contain waterlogged carpets and furniture can harbor mold and fungus growth. Neither of which do we want to ingest.

Make your assessment of the damage and decide how you want to clean it. It may be that it is so bad you will hire someone else. A professional cleaning company though expensive as they may be sometimes are the best choice. If it is something you can do on your own then continue to do so. Once you get all the small items cleared out you must then remove the larger items. If it is something you can clean and keep fine. If it must be destroyed then haul or have it hauled to your landfill. Keeping flood damaged items piled up outside can create a hazard and burning it outside can release mold spores into the air recreating what you are trying to avoid in the first place. After all of your furniture and other items are moved off the floors is it time to clean or tear up the old floor covering.

Now would also be a good time to hire an electrician to check the

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